Tracie Peterson (3 page)

“And now?”

Laura chuckled. “Now our son Adam fancies that he’d like to buy the place for his family. They’re in Chicago right now, but he can easily transfer to Kansas City. He loves the house and it would be a relief to both Darren and myself to know we could come back and visit.”

“Well, it’s also nice to know that you wouldn’t have to worry about getting a buyer,” Tess replied. “I have a list of great retirement communities. Was that what you were thinking of, or were you preferring something more private?”

“No, we like the idea of a retirement community. We’re both afraid of getting old and lonely and hiding ourselves away from life. I think a community feel would be just right for us.”

Tess nodded and reached over to pull out a huge notebook of senior retirement listings. “Now, are you wanting the eastern coast of Florida or the western? I have connections in both places and we can work out just about any location you have in mind.”

“I think it would be nice to be near to where you live. We miss your folks so much. It seems like they’ve been gone forever. If you wouldn’t mind a visit now and then, we think it would make our transition to Florida much easier.”

“I wouldn’t mind that at all. There are plenty of places to consider. I’ll send you copies of the literature and some information on each place. I’ll also send you a package of information on what I do and how I might help. This has my prices and all the details of time scheduling and so forth. You just check off the areas in which you think you’d like my help and then I can give you an estimation as to what it will cost.”

“That sounds wonderful. It’s such a relief to know we can trust you to help us through this,” Laura replied.

“No problem. I love this business for that very reason,” Tess answered. Her second line began ringing. “Look, I have another call. I’ll have the information in the mail today.”

“Thanks again, Tess. I’ll look forward to hearing from you.”

“Oh, let me have your telephone number and address,” Tess said, suddenly realizing that she had neither one. Laura rattled the numbers off quickly and bid Tess good-bye without a thought to keep her even a moment longer.

Tess hurriedly picked up the second line just as the answering machine began to take the call. “Tess Holbrook.”

“Hi, sweetheart.”

“Brad, what’s going on? It’s not like you to call at this time of day.” She checked her watch and saw it was nearly two o’clock.

“Well, I need a favor. We’re working with several area business people on a tourism package. I need to have them over for dinner tomorrow night. Will that be a problem?”

Tess picked up her pencil once again. “No, it’s not a problem. How many?”

“Probably ten,” Brad replied. “It shouldn’t take all night, but we discussed it among our own team here and thought the more homey setting might work to our advantage.”

“Did you have something in mind for dinner?”

“Why don’t we just get it catered and have Esperanza come to serve?” he suggested.

Tess knew her housekeeper was due to come yet that afternoon. It would be easy enough to see if Esperanza wanted to earn some extra money keeping their kitchen for the party.

“All right. I’ll take care of the details,” Tess replied.

“You’re a doll. I’ll probably see you around seven. I’m playing racquetball with Justin after work.”

Tess nodded, seeing she’d noted Brad’s game on her calendar. “Have fun.”

“Say, do you want to go out to dinner tonight?” Brad questioned. “Kind of my way of making up for springing this business dinner on you at the last minute.”

“Sure. Sounds like fun. Do you want me to make reservations?” Tess questioned.

“Nah, I’ll take care of it. We’ll do something special.”

“Trying to cheer me up?” she asked, half teasing, half serious.

“Just letting you know how much you’re appreciated.”

She smiled. “Ah, bribery.”

He laughed and denied it. “See you at seven.”

Tess hung up the phone and tapped her pencil on the notes she’d made. It would be short notice, but she was certain she could get Evangeline’s to cater her dinner. The owner had been so grateful for Tess’s help in relocating his mother to Ft. Lauderdale that he practically fell all over Tess whenever she appeared in his shop.

Then the notes for Laura and Darren Johnson caught her eye. Laura had been a dear friend to Tess’s mother, while Darren and her father had begun their relationship through
business. Tess’s father, Rudy Hersh, had been a big name in construction in the Kansas City area. It only seemed fitting that he should befriend an architect when he decided to bid on one of the city’s biggest renovation projects. It would be nice having Laura and Darren in the area, Tess decided. Almost as nice as having her folks around again.

Rudy and Stella Hersh had been gone longer than Tess liked to remember. Her father had succumbed to a heart attack nearly a year after Tess and Brad had married. After that, her mother’s health had gradually gone downhill. Tess believed her mother had died of a broken heart, never having been quite able to find her niche after Rudy had died. How Tess missed them.

Gathering up some information, she tried not to think about her parents or her desire to have a baby.
There are just too many sad things in this world
, she concluded.
I hardly need to add to them with my own poor spirits
.

This was the way Tess generally did business. This was how she kept herself from sinking too low in self-pity. Her demands on herself were always greater than those anyone else placed on her. Other people might have allowed for her to have hurts and sorrows, but Tess refused to allow herself the luxury of such feelings. At least not for long.

CHAPTER 3

“The flowers are on the table, Mrs. Holbrook,” the fifty-something housekeeper announced as Tess emerged from her bedroom.

Securing a diamond stud to her left ear, Tess nodded. “Esperanza, would you mind zipping me up?” she questioned, turning her back to the woman.

Esperanza quickly slid the zipper into place. “The food is ready and the table set. What time do you want me to serve?”

The concierge from the downstairs lobby buzzed Tess before she could answer.

“Yes?”

“Mr. Holbrook is on his way upstairs.”

“Thank you, Carlos,” Tess replied and turned to Esperanza. “I suppose we’ll want to eat in about thirty to forty minutes. Let’s give the men time to discuss their racquetball games and Wall Street victories before stuffing them with Evangeline’s seafood salad and tortilla soup.” Tess knew her husband and his business dinners well enough to know that this would be sufficient time for all formalities to be set aside.

The condominium went almost instantly from its routine calm to a kind of overwhelming onslaught of activity. Tess found herself glad for the dressy appearance of her black sleeveless Donna Karan creation. With her high-heeled strappy sandals and simple diamond earrings, she looked neither too extravagant nor understated.

“Mrs. Holbrook, I am Bartolo Aznar. I’ve long wanted to meet you,” an older, salt-and-pepper-haired man spoke as he took hold of her hand. “Your husband has told me much about you and your business.”

Tess smiled. The man’s dark-eyed gaze was fixed intently on her face. “I’m flattered. What was it that so intrigued you?”

The man flashed brilliant white teeth. “I must confess, I saw
your photograph on Brad’s desk. We started to talk about you and he told me of your business in helping senior citizens.”

Tess nodded. “It’s a challenging but rewarding career.” She turned to find Brad making his way to where they stood.

“Ah, I see Bartolo has already cornered you.” He leaned forward and gave Tess a kiss on the cheek. “You look fantastic,” he whispered against her ear before straightening.

“Mr. Aznar—”

“Please call me Bartolo, as your husband does,” the man interjected.

Tess smiled and nodded. “Bartolo tells me my business became the topic of office conversation.”

“Yes, he’s very excited about what you’ve been able to accomplish,” Brad replied. “He and his wife have been in business for themselves for nearly as long as they’ve been married. They have two teenagers and live here in Miami.”

“How did you two meet?” Tess asked.

“We share a common interest in tourism,” Bartolo told Tess. “Along with other things. Retirement communities and such. That’s why I found your business fascinating. I would very much like to discuss it more, if the evening will allow,” the older man replied.

Tess couldn’t imagine why the man found her work so exciting, but she quickly agreed. “I would be honored.”

“Perhaps after dinner,” Aznar suggested before giving her the slightest hint of a bow and taking his leave.

“What a pleasant man,” Tess said, gazing up into her husband’s eyes. “Not as pleasant as you, but very nearly.”

“You may not think me pleasant at all when I tell you what I’ve done. I hope you don’t mind,” Brad said, putting his arm around Tess’s shoulder, “but I’ve invited Justin to join us this evening.”

Tess laughed. She was used to Brad’s last-minute additions and always ordered at least three extra portions of food. “I suppose we’ll fit him in.”

Brad kissed her again. “You’re awfully good to me, Mrs. Holbrook.”

Laughing, she walked away, but she looked over her shoulder to answer playfully, “Yes, I am. Just don’t forget it.”

Tess quickly explained the addition to Esperanza, who merely nodded and went to set another place at the table. She couldn’t imagine why Brad had invited his best friend to join a tourism business meeting. Justin Dillard was a lawyer by trade, so perhaps there were legal matters to be considered. Nevertheless, Justin was always a pleasure to have at their table. Tess also figured it did the man good to be around other people. His wife had been killed only four months earlier in a car accident. Justin had been devastated, and had it not been for his active role in the church, Tess was certain he would have locked himself away in his grief.

“Tess, you look wonderful,” Brad’s supervisor, Mel Grommet, declared. “But then, you always do.”

Tess smiled. The man was old enough to be her father, yet she knew him to be married to a woman at least ten years her junior. “How are you, Mel?”

“I’m hitting four under par and making a fortune on those technology stocks Brad clued me in on,” the man replied with a devious twinkle in his eye. “Now, if I could just get this deal wrapped up tonight, I could take Kelly to the Keys for the weekend. She been dying for a little excitement.”

Tess nodded, imagining the shapely wife of this aging business executive prancing about one nightclub after another while Mel struggled to stay awake past ten.

“If you’ll excuse me, Mel, I have to check on dinner.”

Tess hurried away before the man could reply and rolled her eyes heavenward at the thought of spending the entire evening with him anywhere nearby.

But worries about having to keep company with Mel soon faded as the evening progressed. Justin arrived with a bouquet of flowers for Tess and a new tan, which suggested he’d spent some R and R time at the beach.

With Justin to her left and Bartolo Aznar on her right, Tess found herself pleasantly occupied. She learned all about Aznar’s Cuban and Spanish background, as well as his avid interest in building a retirement community on some newly held property to the north. Justin was just as good company as Aznar. He talked of his vacation to Marco Island and a long-overdue visit with his parents. Tess was glad to hear that things were going so well for him.

Brad, too, seemed pleased with the turn of events. From time to time he looked to her and smiled.
He seems so content
, she thought. Almost as if their inability to conceive had never been an issue. The weight of that reality suddenly weighed heavy on her shoulders.

Smiling tolerantly as Justin related some amusing story about jellyfish, Tess struggled to take her thoughts captive. This dinner was important to Brad and she didn’t want to ruin it for him by appearing less than happy and full of confidence.

When dinner concluded, and Esperanza and Tess had cleared away all but the coffee and dessert, the men got down to discussing the details of their business. Tess knew very well how these things could go into the wee hours of the morning, and so after paying Esperanza, she dismissed the woman and saw to the final kitchen work herself.

“You are not interested in what we stuffy old businessmen have to say?” Aznar questioned as he came up behind Tess unannounced.

She turned and shook her head. “There’s always some new angle to Brad’s work in tourism. I’m sure to hear all about it after the meeting concludes.”

“I had hoped we might speak more on your business,” Aznar replied. He waved Tess off when she offered him coffee. “I would very much like for you to consider a proposition I’d like to make.”

“Related to your planned retirement community?”

“Somewhat,” he replied. “You see, not only would I like
for you to help me to arrange clientele for the community, but I’d like to propose an expansion of your business.”

Tess cocked her head back a bit and raised a brow in question. “An expansion?”

“Yes. I realize you currently run everything out of your home, but I would like you to consider allowing me to invest in your business and see it grow. I have the perfect rental property that would make a wonderful location for your business and allow for additional staff.”

“I like working out of the apartment,” Tess replied. “I don’t want to keep hours and answer to someone else.”

He chuckled. “I would imagine you are already answering to a great many someones in dealing with your numerous newspaper ads. Brad was saying that you often get called in the middle of the night.”

It was true, Tess had to admit. People were not always very considerate of the time zone differences. The multiple ads she ran in northern metropolitan city newspapers across the nation gave her a variety of customers, as well as calls at all hours of the day and night.

“It just seems to come along with the business,” Tess replied.